Michael Murphy

Michael "Mike" Murphy was born on February 27, 1861, in Southborough, Massachusetts. His parents were Irish immigrants. He was an accomplished sprinter and in 1884 he started working with athletes at his home. In 1887, he was hired by Yale as their first athletic trainer.

Murphy will be seen as the leader of early athletic training. Many of the friends of his youth, known as the "Natick Immortals'" would become athletic trainers at large colleges under Murphy's tutelage. Murphy is credited with inventing many products and techniques used by athletic trainers.

Like most early athletic trainers he also coached track. He will coach three U.S. Olympic track teams, the New York Atheltic Club to 10 AAU championships and 15 collegiate national championship teams. For this he was elected to the U.S. Track Hall of Fame.

Murphy was inducted into the initial class of the NATA Hall of Fame in 1962, the only athletic trainer from the 1800's in the NATA Hall of Fame.